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7 snowstorms that crippled the East Coast

Great Snow of 1717

The Great Snow of 1717 was actually a number of storms that dropped more than 5 feet of snow on the New England and New York colonies between Feb. 27 and March 7. That winter had been a particularly heavy with snow, and after the last storm passed on March 7, many homes were buried past the first floor and single-story homes were left completely covered. Snowdrifts piled up over the third story of some buildings and roads were shut down for weeks.

The storm was brutal to livestock and agriculture, killing animals and damaging orchard trees that were left vulnerable to grazers due to the piled up snow. It's estimated that as many as 95 percent of all the deer in many parts of New England died during or after this storm.

Great Snow of 1717

The Great Snow of 1717 was actually a number of storms that dropped more than 5 feet of snow on the New England and New York colonies between Feb. 27 and March 7. That winter had been a particularly heavy with snow, and after the last storm passed on March 7, many homes were buried past the first floor and single-story homes were left completely covered. Snowdrifts piled up over the third story of some buildings and roads were shut down for weeks.

The storm was brutal to livestock and agriculture, killing animals and damaging orchard trees that were left vulnerable to grazers due to the piled up snow. It's estimated that as many as 95 percent of all the deer in many parts of New England died during or after this storm.